Taking Back Control
by Lois Mars
Summary: He had never actually meant to kill her; he just needed to take back control, needed to prove that Sylar was unstoppable. One-shot.


**Taking Back Control**

**Rated:** T

**Pairing:** Sylar/Elle

**A/N:** I love Kristen Bell and Elle Bishop is one of my favorite characters, so I was devastated when she left the show. This story came along when I was thinking of possible ways that Elle could still be alive.

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He had never actually meant to kill her; he just needed to take back control, needed to prove that Sylar was unstoppable.

She had changed him and he hated her for it. It was just something about her that momentarily tamed the beast inside of him. With just a glance into her bright blue eyes he could feel his tough, serial killer persona of Sylar melt away until only the raw, timid Gabriel Gray was left.

He knew he needed to do something, but her grasp on him was strong and, unfortunately for him, he became attached.

When Hiro showed up at the Bennett house and teleported them to the deserted beach, he suddenly realized that now was the perfect opportunity to regain his dominance over both her and himself.

Using his telekinesis, he pinned her to the ground and watched her squirm helplessly, her eyes pleading with him to spare her life while she whispered objections intertwined with the occasional "Gabriel."

He simply smirked at her, feeling his killer instinct rise within him once again. Gabriel Gray was no more. Sylar would forever remain; he would ensure it at all costs.

He had lifted a finger, preparing to slice the top of her head off when he noticed that she had a certain look in her eye. It wasn't fear, of that he was sure. Instead it was a look that he recalled seeing in her eyes upon their first meeting—a look she had been giving him often throughout the past few days.

Was it…love?

His hand wavered slightly and he quickly shut his eyes. Deep within, he shared the same feelings—or at least Gabriel did.

When he reopened his eyes he was met with a weak smile tugging at her lips. He cocked his head to the side slightly. Clearly, she thought she had won, which made her blood curdling scream that much more satisfying as he gashed her forehead and she passed out from the pain.

Now he was left with the body. He sat down on the sand next to her unconscious form and studied her features. He had no interest in examining her brain for he had already obtained her power back when she was locked up at the Company. He lightly touched the skin on her face, tenderly pushing her blonde hair away from the wound he had caused. This woman was a conundrum to him. She had walked into his life unexpectedly, saved him, watched him turn into a monster, tried to kill him, and then somehow had fallen in love with him and caused him to love her back. He couldn't be Sylar when she was around, and he needed to be Sylar. He needed to be in control.

Standing up, he sprinkled gasoline over her body and used the power she had given him to set her on fire. "Goodbye, Elle," he whispered, turning on his heel and not once looking back.

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When Noah and Hiro found Elle and extinguished her flaming body, Noah thought for certain she was dead. She was bleeding from the gunshot wound in her leg, she was bleeding from her forehead, and her flesh was charred. So when he found a weak pulse he was surprised, to say the least, and ordered Hiro to bring Claire and a syringe. It may not have been in his best interest to save her life—she and Sylar had tried to kill his family after all—but Noah had known Elle since her father first brought her to the company for testing. She was a constant reminder to him of what Claire's life could have been like, and he couldn't help but feel some compassion for the blonde. Perhaps in this one instance all the testing she had gone through as a child worked in her favor, he mused. Perhaps it enabled her to build up a tolerance.

Hiro returned with Claire within seconds and upon seeing the body, she crumpled to her knees. Any ill feelings she may have felt toward the woman were being pushed from her body as her hate for a certain serial killer rose. Claire knew no one deserved to die—or at least come as close to death as one could possibly get—especially by the hands of Sylar. Silently, she held out her left arm, allowing Hiro to tie a tourniquet as her father drew some of her blood.

Noah examined the red liquid within the syringe for a moment before injecting it into Elle's burnt forearm. He checked her pulse and was satisfied that it slowly grew stronger with every beat. He stood up and went over to Claire, enveloping her in a hug and pulling her up from the ground. They watched as the bullet was expelled from her leg and the wound closed itself up, her flesh regrew without any scars, and Sylar's trademark slash disappeared from her forehead. When she drew in a large breath and began stirring, Noah nodded to Hiro. The younger man knelt beside Elle's body, and the two were gone before she could fully regain consciousness.

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Elle awoke with a start, covered in a cold sweat. Memories of a beach, Gabriel, excruciating pain, and darkness swam through her head. Sighing, she brought her hands to her temples, shaking off her thoughts as just a nightmare. Just then she noticed the IV in her arm, causing her to stare wide eyed at her surroundings in confusion. She wasn't at home; she was in a hospital bed, in a room with white cinderblock walls. "What the fu…"

Realization suddenly hit her. It was not a nightmare; it was all completely real. She had been at a beach with Gabriel, and he had sliced her head open. "Probably with the intention of killing me," she grumbled. Someone must have saved her. She assumed it was Bennett, since she and Gabriel had been at his house before the time traveler showed up and dumped them at the nearby beach. Why he had saved her, she had no clue—especially since she had been after the cheerleader—but she was thankful. Sort of.

Gabriel, the only man she had ever loved, had tried to kill her. She shook her head, "Correction: _Sylar_ tried to kill me." Creating a distinction between the two made it less hard for her mind to comprehend his actions. Removing the blankets from her body and pulling the IV out of her arm, Elle stood up from the bed. She made her way over to the corner of the room where there was a sink with a mirror above it. Gripping the ceramic edge of the sink, she took in a deep breath.

She could tell that he changed when he was with her; his killer instincts subsided, his demeanor became less daunting. She enjoyed knowing that she had that much of a control over him, but she had also generally enjoyed his company. He wasn't like anyone else she had ever met. Elle ran her hands through her hair. She had let herself love him, and was stupid enough to think he would love her back. They had fucked, but clearly she was nothing to him. He decided to cut her head open anyway; just like any other victim.

She rolled her eyes and spat vehemently, "Once a serial killer, always a serial killer." Well, two can play that game because once a sociopath…

Smirking at her reflection in the mirror, newly acquired hatred flashed in the blonde's eyes. As she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, she straightened her posture, building up her emotional walls once again. If Sylar thought he could get away with doing this to her, he had another thing coming. Clenching her fists, she spoke through gritted teeth, "You can't get rid of Elle Bishop that easily, you son of a bitch."


End file.
